Lee precision presses

Rod B said:
The Lee Classic Cast Turret & the Classic cast with proper care should last a lifetime.
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Have to say I agree with this. I've got many thousands of pistols and rifle rounds through my Classic Cast turret and it is like new. It is hard to beat the flexibility of the Classic turret regarding switching between setups for various calibres and/or loads. I'm the type of guy who likes nice equipment and am surprised at how much I am enjoying the Lee.

If you have the cash, a Dillon 550 or 650 is nicer. You get greater production volume (3-4x) in progressive mode than the Lee turret, but you will also pay 3 to 4 times as much. I like the way that the Dillon can be accesorized with case and bullet feeders to get even greater production. This is great if you shoot that much.

There are only 2 critiques I have of the Lee turret press. One is that when reloading 223 cartidges with very low neck tension, the pressure to seat bullets in these cases is so low that it does not take the slack out of the turret head and this results in inconsistent seating depth. The second critique is the the primer feeding me mechanism takes some technique and tweaks to get working but works quite well once sorted.

I'm thinking of a Classic Cast for loading some 223 rifle cartridges to avoid the neck tension issue and also for some specialty case forming.
 
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I don't shoot pistol, but I do love my levers, and so crimping is an essential function. I don't have many years reloading experience, so I don't know if it comes with time, but roll crimping just doesn't work for me. The factory crimp dies are indispensable. When I bought my (beloved) .444, I got a great deal on a set of RCBS dies for it, and while they are very nice, I augmented them greatly by purchasing the Lee factory crimp die.

I also use a Lee single stage press, but changing does/calibers does not take more than a few seconds. I invested in a ring-lock bushing for each die in each caliber, so moving from sizing to seating, or from .444 to .303 is a 10 second affair.

meo2 said:
Anchor ... It's faster that way ? isn't it ? So your suggestion is the turret, cool ! How about the die set .... should i get the delux 4 die set ? with the factory crimp die ?
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Great starter presses, and worth hanging onto. Once you get comfortable with what you are doing, you'll know what kind of press you need for the quantities and qualities you want and can shop from there.
 
I bought a standard turret press back in 1985 (the classic cast turret wasn't even an idea then) and it is still going strong. I can't even guess how many rounds have come off of that press. The Classic cast is an even better unit. Buy with confidence.

Auggie D.
 
Auggie Doggie said:
I bought a standard turret press back in 1985 (the classic cast turret wasn't even an idea then) and it is still going strong. I can't even guess how many rounds have come off of that press. The Classic cast is an even better unit. Buy with confidence.

Auggie D.
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I have the same 3 hole turret. Like you, I can't count the number's that have been thru it. It's all original, right down to the white metal arm and linkage's.
 
I've been using a Lee classic cast 4 hole turret press for a little over a year now, it's worked quite well for me so far. I use it as a single stage press and have a turret for each of the cartridges I load for, saves me some time fiddling with dies.
 
This is an amazing thread! :eek: More positives than negatives for Lee. There was a time on here when you made a post about Lee reloading equipment, then ran for cover. :nest: I use Lee reloading equipment, several Progressives - 38, 45, 44, 9mm; a couple of Load-Alls, lots of dies, bullet molds, melting pots, bullet lube.

If I were to start all over, I would very likely go for Lee again. Other makers have good equipment, no doubt, else they wouldn't be in business. I have used a Lyman Spar-T press for nearly 40 years. I bought a new Lyman turret a while back at Bass Pro in Calgary, not necessarily because I needed it. :p
 
Dogleg said:
It wasn't the frame that broke, it was that the bottom end toggles wore out and broke. No warranty.
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I agree this was a poor design. Mine broke on a five year old Pro 1000, I contacted Lee & had a new updated design steel toggle at my door in less than a week, at no charge.

I have since replaced the Pro 1000s; when they were working well they were great but they required far too much tinkering & caliber change was a major pain.

They have been replaced with a Cast Turret & a Classic cast single stage which suit my needs perfectly..
 
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you're always going to hear from some in the "BIGSHOT" crowd,,telling you Lee equipment is crap simply because it's inexpensive,,,but fact is Lee stuff is excellent value for the money and is all that's required for 99% of people,,,if you have a lot of extra money and want to pay for the big names and make yourself feel good,,,,go for it,,,but the guys with the Lee stuff will load just as good as you,,,UNLESS,,,you are in some form of specialized shooting,,,then these guys have a reason to try and find the best,,,and even THOSE guys are always buying and exchanging equipment to try and find the best,,,and if you ask most of them,,they will tell you it is a never ending story..
There has been more rounds loaded will Lee equipment than any other brand out there,,,the stuff works,,BUT,,not sure i would be 100% on their progressive stuff,,,
 
There has been more handloading done with RCBS than Lee by a long shot. And of the dozens of equipment manufacturers out there I still say the best "value" is still RCBS.

That being said I own a little of each, and have my own preferences which are not brand specific. More utility and quality oriented. Some of it includes Lee, though not as much as other brands.
 
Dogleg said:
Sure, if you plan on dieing in the next two years. Unless something has changed that's how long their warranty lasts.:p;)
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I previously loaded 50 BMG with my Classic Cast. It's not as heavily built as other presses specifically made for 50 BMG, but those other presses are $400+. Compared to 50 BMG, everything else requires almost no force.


There are all colours of equipment on my bench. They are there for different reasons. Not every company makes the best product, or the best value product in every category. Pick and chose.
 
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silverfoxdj said:
Personally I would go with a Forster C0-AX if you want a very good first press about $300..
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The Co-Ax is over $310 US these days (if anyone has it in stock). Just with US currency exchange, that's around $350 CAD, so in the $450 CAD range purchased here, around $400 CAD (plus taxes) if shipped from the US.
 
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SandRoad said:
The Co-Ax is over $310 US these days (if anyone has it in stock). Just with US currency exchange, that's around $350 CAD, so in the $450 CAD range
purchased here, around $400 CAD (plus taxes) if shipped from the US.
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That may be so, but if you buy the Co-Ax, you will have the finest single stage press ever designed, and if mine is any indication, it will outlive you, even if you live to be 90.

Mine is 30 years old, and I have had exactly zero issues with it, and it has loaded 10's of thousands of rounds in that time.

Regards, Dave.
 
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